How to Grow Potatoes Without Having to be a Farmer

Have you ever thought about growing your own potatoes?
If the answer is yes, fantastic. If it is no, you are about to change
your mind. Potatoes are not only tasty but healthy as well. You will
want to have as many as you can to prepare exquisite dishes for you and
your family.

Each day, many people are considering growing their own
vegetables at home (including me). And the question is: How to grow
potatoes? Can we grow potatoes at home? The answer is yes. Growing
potatoes from seeds is easier than you think.

They are also relatively effortless
to plant. The fact that they are not too complicated to grow is one
reason that they are grown in various regions of the world.

When
to plant potatoes

Potatoes are grown as annual plants, with fields planted
each spring, and harvested in the fall. The best time to grow potatoes
is in March, but it can be done as early as February. The whole season
goes from March right through to November, and they don’t need that
much water.

When planting potatoes you should know that, although
they grow underground, they are stems, not roots, and are known as
"tubers." The best temperature for tuber formation occurs at soil
temperatures between 60° and 70° Fahrenheit. They also need a slightly
acidic soil with a pH of 5 to 6 preferably. The amount of water for
your potatoes to grow healthy should be close to 1 inch per week.

How
to plant potatoes

You can place your seed potatoes in rows very easily. If
you are going for it:

1.
Buy a bag of certified disease free potato seeds.

2. Set the rows about 2 ½ feet
apart.

3. Cover the seeds to a depth
of 4 inches at least. You can place them a bit deeper (2 to 3 more
inches) if it makes you happy.

The picture above shows you how a
potato plant looks like when is grown.

For each row of potatoes, you should plant garlic cloves, also known as garlic
seeds (in 1 feet spaced rows) which can help to prevent disease when
growing potato seeds.
Plus you will have some fresh garlic when cooking those home grown
potatoes.

Plus you will have some fresh garlic ready when cooking those home
grown potatoes. The potato plants produce flowers, and the fruit that
grow from these flowers look a lot like green tomatoes, but you can't
eat them. Depending on weather, season and location, the potato plants begin
to grow about 2 to 6 weeks after planting. Remember to keep the soil
well drained.

Want your
potatoes to grow bigger? There is a way and is nothing out
of this world. Just place mounds of soil around the plant. You should
do this once the plant is close to 7 inches tall. The height of the
mound can be a good 4 inches and you will have pretty large tubers in a
few weeks (not bad).

When
to harvest

Potato plants are harvested in the fall. You should wait
until the plants are about 12 to 18 inches tall. Another way to know is
to watch until they stop creating flowers and wait 2 weeks after that
to harvest.

After digging up the potatoes, please do not expose them to the light
for much time. Now, you know how to grow potatoes in your own backyard
which means healthier potatoes without chemicals and a lot of savings
on your next visit to the grocery store.